Was trawling the net for photies of RMAS vessels and came across this one. Does anyone know of this ship?
In my time with RMAS/Serco Denholm (1991-2000) I hadn't heard of it.

There is a photo here.

http://www.river-clyde.org.uk/rmas_vessels.html

Bob S

19th November 2005, 19:18

Hi Hendo,

She was operated by the Royal Marines. I have a photo and will post asap.

meechingman

19th November 2005, 19:26

There was an earlier vessel of this name a regular sight in Newhaven for many years (60's-70's). Same basic idea, converted trawler, festooned with antennas. Didn't she come to grief in a fire, or am I mixing my vessels?
Andy G

Mike O'Rourke

19th November 2005, 22:16

Hi, I believe Bob has it correct, she is a 'Sneakie Beakie' vessel run by the Royal Marines (SBS)
Aye
Mike

airds

19th November 2005, 23:25

She was refurbished by D.R.A. Defence Research Establishment - which had been being something like or attached to the R.A.E. Royal Aircraft Establishment, Farnborough, after the fire as mentioned and operated as research/trials vessel, and I worked with her in Loch Linnhe on a couple of occassions. Never saw any Marines thought ..... :-) Assume she then went to the R.M.A.S 'pre-privatisation'

One of her in a earlier livery attached and a quick google search gives this page on shipphotos (http://www.shipphotos.co.uk/pages/coloneltemplar.htm)

Hendo!

19th November 2005, 23:42

Do you have a date when she entered service?
As I have no memory of this ship.

sam2182sw

20th November 2005, 20:40

she was an ex HULL trawler and converted in HULLfor the airco esrablishment by GLOBE SHIPREPAIRS. she had a fire onboard one of the burner was cutting a hole in a bulk head down below and he did not have a fire watcher at the other side of the bulkhead so you can tell what happened the ship went up in flames .The fire got out of control and nine fire engines attended thaw pump that much water in her and could not get to the base of the fire it was decieded to sink her in the dock oooto put the fire out.UNITED TOWING where hired to refloat her she was lifted by six heavy lift cranes from the queyside brougt up to dock level and then large salvage pumps where placed onboard and she was pumped out while the cranes took the weight of her she was then put in dry dock next to where she sank a metter of about fifty feet away. can give more info if required sam2182sw

AceBlaggard

21st November 2005, 15:11

There was an earlier vessel of this name a regular sight in Newhaven for many years (60's-70's). Same basic idea, converted trawler, festooned with antennas. Didn't she come to grief in a fire, or am I mixing my vessels?
Andy G

I'm having a hard of thinking moment, is it the same ship that has been refurbished after the fire on board and is still in service but no longer visits Newhaven? I happened to find this old photo of most of it that was snapped by chance as it was the background of the subject I was taking. Sorry for the poor quality, circa 1990 alongside in Newhaven.

Paul

sam2182sw

21st November 2005, 21:15

hi paul that is the same ship she was in HULL not so long ago she always comes about every sixteen mounths for drydocking.

sam2182sw

21st November 2005, 21:20

hi paul she was placed in dry dock holes cut in the bottom and she was cleaned out with fresh water.the shell was in very good order annd the airco liked the ship that much that she was towed away to i think A AND P shiprepairs for a full refit at the tax payers expence. sam

Landour

1st December 2005, 20:22

Colonel Templer was built by Hall Russell & Co. in 1966 and entered service as a deep-sea trawler. In 1979, the vessel was refitted, under ownership of DERA, to enable the vessel to become a platform for various types of test, trials and evaluation exercises. Further modifications were carried out in 1997 including replacement of the original propulsion system allowing greater manoeuvrability and reduction in noise.

Colonel Templer currently operates out of Marine Services Base, Great Harbour, Greenock and has been managed by Serco-Denholm as part of a MOD GO/CO contract since 2000. The vessel provides a platform for diving operations and a range of military test, trials and evaluation exercises, with a capability to operate worldwide.

The vessel provides accommodation for a crew of 12 + 12 exercise personnel.

Hendo!

2nd December 2005, 12:01

She must have arrived at Greenock just after I left! (Late March 2000)
Thought I'd seen something on Google Earth I didn't recognise recently.

Thanks for the posting the photo Biggus. I see she is used for towing targets, a job we did on Salmaster. One of those jobs got cut short during a NATO excercise when a German frigate lobbed a shell right on top of it, leaving us to winch in a pile of scrap metal.

Bob S

14th December 2005, 19:47

Nice photo Biggus, she looks good in the colour scheme.

sam2182sw

14th December 2005, 21:22

she looks a lot better in that colour better then old blue

meechingman

9th January 2006, 23:24

Doing some research for the local museum turned up several albums of Newhaven pix. These two show Col Templer before and after her orginal conversion. Anyone know her original name - seems to end with 'ella', which seems to ring a bell. Junella, perhaps?

Andy G

Gulpers

9th January 2006, 23:35

meechingman,

Have a look at this link; http://www.shipphotos.co.uk/pages/coloneltemplar.htm
Originally Criscilla (Thumb)

Colonel Templer was built by Hall Russell & Co. in 1966 and entered service as a deep-sea trawler. In 1979, the vessel was refitted, under ownership of DERA, to enable the vessel to become a platform for various types of test, trials and evaluation exercises. Further modifications were carried out in 1997 including replacement of the original propulsion system allowing greater manoeuvrability and reduction in noise.

Colonel Templer currently operates out of Marine Services Base, Great Harbour, Greenock and has been managed by Serco-Denholm as part of a MOD GO/CO contract since 2000. The vessel provides a platform for diving operations and a range of military test, trials and evaluation exercises, with a capability to operate worldwide.

The vessel provides accommodation for a crew of 12 + 12 exercise personnel.

Thats almost right! The RV Colonel templer was originally the trawler Criscilla, she was purchased by the Royal Aircraft Establishment Farnborough and operated on their behalf by the ARMY as part of the Royal Corps of Transports Civilian manned fleet and replaced the RCTV Richard George Masters VC. At the conclusion of her service she was transfered to the RMAS for a short while before being taken up by Serco Denholm who operated her in support of trials for the Defence Research Agency (DRA), AV Seawork and later the Defence Research and Evaluation Agency (DERA) She is now operated by Serco Denholm out of Greenock as you have rightly said. She was never used by the Royal Marines, the vessel that was/still is, is the RV Newton, which was originally an Admiralty Cable ship but was converted to an Oceanagraphic research vessel which also provided a platform for the Royal Marine SBS and was formerlly operated by the RMAS and now by Serco Denholm. I served on the RV Colonel Templer in 2000 employed by Serco Denholm, and later in 2000 I also served on the RV Newton on an agency contract with the RMAS!.

Stewart J.

9th March 2010, 22:30

This might interest, she's still laid up at Greenock, UK

http://www.damentrading.nl/damen/news.php then click on Research tab.

Stewart

NickNZ

10th March 2010, 06:12

She was refurbished by D.R.A. Defence Research Establishment - which had been being something like or attached to the R.A.E. Royal Aircraft Establishment, Farnborough, after the fire as mentioned and operated as research/trials vessel, and I worked with her in Loch Linnhe on a couple of occassions. Never saw any Marines thought ..... :-) Assume she then went to the R.M.A.S 'pre-privatisation'

One of her in a earlier livery attached and a quick google search gives this page on shipphotos (http://www.shipphotos.co.uk/pages/coloneltemplar.htm)

Bloody clever the bootnecks! If you look very closely, you will see they are all over her.
And I don't think those 'aerials' are for tuning into the Home Service! Or maybe they were.........

sailorbear

10th March 2010, 13:21

This might interest, she's still laid up at Greenock, UK

http://www.damentrading.nl/damen/news.php then click on Research tab.

Stewart

Very interesting!, suprising number of ex RMAS/Serco Denholm vessels up for sale. Could this be new labours master plan to make our great maritime forces just a river boat section of the european superstate?

Stewart J.

10th March 2010, 21:16

Very interesting!, suprising number of ex RMAS/Serco Denholm vessels up for sale. Could this be new labours master plan to make our great maritime forces just a river boat section of the european superstate?

Serco Denholm is now Serco Marine Services (Denholm association now dropped), many of the older vessels are being replaced by new tonnage.